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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

It feels great to have finished this quilt which has been languishing as a quilt top since 2014! I usually like to finish what I start, and don't tend to work on more than one (or two) projects at a time. It's what works best for me; although as you can see I am not immune to setting a project aside, and letting it sit unattended for quite some time.

As mentioned in my previous blog post featuring this quilt I have finished this quilt by using a light weight cotton batting called QuiltLite. Quiltlite is a woven cotton fabric similar to a loosely woven flannel fabric (see photo below); it offers the presence of batting without adding bulk, gives a lovely soft drape, and makes this quilt perfect as a light weight Summer coverlet.

I have then quilted the quilt by stitching evenly spaced - edge to edge - vertical lines across the width of the quilt. To give the quilting lines/stitches more definition I have used a heavier weight thread (Aurifil 28wt - the grey spool) for the top thread, and Aurifil 40wt thread in the bobbin. My sewing machine seems to like this combination of threads, and together with a relatively long stitch length (4.0) the stitches add a subtle point of interest in amongst the busy floral prints.

And for the first time I have added a faced binding to a quilt. Faced binding is similar to traditional quilt binding except that the binding is turned completely to the back so there is no frame around the edge of a quilt. There are lots of Faced Binding Tutorials available online with step by step instructions and I have taken snippets of information from several online tutorials (see Relevant Links below), then trialled the technique on a mini-quilt (10 inch square). This helped me to visualize the process and gave me the confidence to go ahead and and finish this quilt with a faced binding.

I am really pleased with how this (new to me) faced binding technique. It wasn't difficult and I will definitely use this technique more often to finish off my quilts!

Sunday, August 12, 2018

I continue to enjoy working collecting and working with 30's prints! It is the vibrant colors and small scale prints that I have fallen for and because they work so well with a range of modern designer fabrics - which feature so strongly in my fabric stash - that make these such a great addition. The perfect stash basics.

The complete Storybook Ranch collection consists of consists of 33 different fabrics featuring 11 different designs in up to four different colorways. It is a big bundle of 1930's storybook prints with rocking horses, rose bandana's, spurs, playful pigs and more.

I have added a small selection of those prints that drew in my eye to stash. See here for the complete Storybook Ranch collection. How cute are those happy little pigs?

COPYRIGHT and DISCLOSURE: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. I have personally selected (and purchased) all featured Sunday Stash fabrics/products, unless clearly stated otherwise. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Recently I spent some time sorting out my fabric stash; tidying, folding, editing. My sewing space was out of control! It's a task that is time consuming and usually things get a whole lot worse before it starts to look better. During this process I came across this quilt top that I pieced in July 2014, and at the time I even prepared this blog post (as follows) complete with photos. For one reason or another the blog post was never published, and the quilt top was stashed away and not thought of again. Till now.

The plan for this quilt top is to experiment with a light weight batting called Quiltlite and then add a faced-binding to complete it. Quiltlite is a cotton woven fabric similar to a loosely woven flannel fabric; it offers the presence of batting without adding bulk, which will make this quilt perfect as a light weight Summer coverlet. Faced binding is similar to traditional quilt binding except that the binding is turned completely to the back so there is no frame around the edge of a quilt. I like to try out new - to me - things! The photos and text that follow are from the original blog post as written in 2014:

Late June (2014) I went to the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair and there I picked up a layer cake (10.5 inch squares) of vintage reclaimed bed linens from The Crafty Squirrel. Included in my layer cake were up to 50 or so different pieces of vintage sheets, all florals and wildly colorful. Blue, green, yellow, brown, purple. pink. Cheerful to say the least.

The layer cake never left my cutting table, and one night I broke into it, cut all of the pieces into four equal squares (5.25" squares) and stitched up this quilt top. I had great intentions of adding more fabrics and playing with a more sophisticated design, but right then and there I decided that these fabrics needed to stay together, that there was more than enough variety and simple patchwork was all that was needed. Done.

Quilt Top measures approximately 63 inches x 78 inches.

The fabrics are all reclaimed vintage linens/sheets and as such the quality of fabrics vary. Obviously some are in better condition than others, but all are freshly laundered and in perfect condition for use in this way. I love that most of the pieces are still saturated in color and it was a bonus to find so many different designs in the one bundle. Even the "uglier" designs look pretty in patchwork ...

.... evoking fond memories and wishing for warm Summer days.

I am looking forward to finishing this project with light weight batting and trying out a different binding technique.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Polk is Carolyn Friedlander's most recent collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The collection is an eight piece collection printed on Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun. This substrate has a defined weave, more like a traditional shot cotton, adding both texture and interest. You can see more photos of the fabric base here: Sunday Stash #390 Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun.

The eight piece collection consists of three unique designs each printed on a different Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun color base.

COPYRIGHT and DISCLOSURE: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. I have personally selected (and purchased) all featured Sunday Stash fabrics/products, unless clearly stated otherwise. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Color, color, everywhere! Fabric is my creative medium of choice and the more colorful my workspace the better. I find it hard to restrain myself and like to put every last fabric scrap to good use. This Bright Hopes quilt was the perfect opportunity to work with both ~ color + fabric scraps.

The fabrics used are many and varied and range from stash basics (dots, gingham, stripes, checks) to novelty fabrics that have been fussy cut to feature a print/design. If you stop by here regularly you may have seen some of these fabrics before, or better still, you might spot fabrics that you too have in your stash. Some are older prints, some have only very recently arrived. All are much loved!

Click on any image for a larger view.

The quilt has been quilted with a combination of straight vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. I use a quilting guide attached to the walking foot to assist with keeping the quilting lines nice and straight (by running the guide along the seam lines and previous quilting lines). No lines were marked!